Six Notre Dame Football Players Disciplined After Weekend Arrests

The players were involved in two separate incidents on Friday and Saturday.

Notre Dame University’s football team faces a heap of controversy after six players were arrested over the weekend for involvement in two separate incidents.

The Fighting Irish’s head football coach Brian Kelly announced disciplinary action on Sunday, dismissing senior safety Max Redfield, and indefinitely suspending senior cornerback Devin Butler, two of the six players linked to the weekend’s antics. The four remaining players – Te’von Coney, Kevin Stepherson Jr., Ashton White, and Dexter Williams – will also face internal disciplinary measures. All six posted bail over the weekend.

Kelly released a statement regarding his disappointment, saying the players “fell short” of what the team represents:

“During the past 24 hours, I have met with each of the members of our team involved in the two incidents that occurred over the weekend, reviewed the evidence available to me, and consulted with others involved in the leadership of our team and the University,” Kelly said. “That process has only served to deepen my disappointment in the poor decisions made by these young men. Their conduct fell far short of what we expect from those who represent our football team and this great university.”

Butler was arrested early Saturday morning on suspicion of battery and resisting law enforcement following a fight at a bar in South Bend, Indiana, according to The Huffington Post and the St. Joseph Police Department. According to NBC News, a probable cause affidavit reports that a responding officer said he was punched and slammed to the ground during the altercation.

Coney, Redfield, Stepherson, White, and Williams were arrested and charged with a misdemeanor marijuana offense on Friday at a traffic stop about 50 miles south of the school’s South Bend campus, ESPNreports. Three of the five also face a charge of possessing a firearm without a license, after cops found a loaded gun in the car.

The weekend’s incidents highlight many who call for stricter sanctions against college football players who have committed other acts of indiscretion over the years.

The controversy comes at the start of the football season, in which Notre Dame will face the University of Texas at a season opener game on September 4.